Cheshunt Cottage. 635 



scenery, with the appearance of but few houses of any kind. 

 Indeed, it may be mentioned as one of the most remarkable cir- 

 cumstances in the state of the country in the neighbourhood of 

 London, that, while all the main roads are bordered by houses 

 for some miles from town, so as almost to resemble streets, 

 there are tracts which lie between the main roads, and quite near 

 town, which have undergone little or no change in the nature of 

 their occupation for several, and apparently many, generations ; 

 at all events, not since the days of Queen Elizabeth. The tracts 

 of country to which we allude are in pasture or meadow, with 

 crooked irregular hedges, numerous stiles and footpaths, and 

 occasional houses by the road sides ; the farms characterised by 

 large hay-barns. Scenery of this kind is never seen by the citizen 

 who goes to his country seat along the public road, in his family 

 carriage or in a stage-coach ; and it is accordingly only known 

 to pedestrians, and such as are not afraid of driving their horses 

 over rough roads, or meeting waggons or hay carts in narrow 

 lanes. The road through the Green Lanes to Enfield is an ex- 

 cellent turnpike road, always in a good state, with occasional 

 villas near Bour Farm and Palmer's Green ; and near Enfield, at 

 Forty Hill, there is a handsome church, built and endowed by 

 Mr. Myers, opposite to his park which is filled with large and 

 handsome trees. Afterwards it passes the celebrated park of Theo- 

 balds, near where formerly stood a royal palace, the favourite 

 residence of James I., and winds in the most agreeable and pic- 

 turesque manner under the shade of overhanging trees. Having 

 made several turns, it leads to a lane with a brook which runs 

 parallel to the road, a foot-bridge across which forms the entrance 

 to Mr. Harrison's cottage, as exhibited in the view Jig. 154. 



The ground occupied by Mr. Harrison's cottage and gardens 

 is about seven acres, exclusive of two adjoining grass fields. The 

 grounds lie entirely on one side of the house, as shown in the 

 plan,^.165. in p. 656, 657. The surface of the whole is flat, and 

 nothing is seen in the horizon in any direction but distant trees. 

 The beauties of the place, to a stranger at his first glance, appear 

 of the quiet and melancholy kind, as shown in the Jigs. 155, 156.; 

 the one looking to the right from the drawingroom window, 

 and the other to the left : but, upon a nearer examination by a 

 person conversant with the subjects of botany and gardening, 

 and knowing in what rural comfort consists, these views will be 

 found to be full of intense interest, and to afford many instruc- 

 tive hints to the possessors of suburban villas or cottages. 



In building the house and laying out the grounds, Mr. Har- 

 rison was his own architect and landscape-gardener; not only 

 devising the general design, but furnishing working-drawings of 

 all the details of the interior of the cottage. His reason for 

 fixing on the present stituation for the house was, the vicinity 



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